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Today we continue our series of ten shows on lifelong learning for Back-to-School time. We’ve just wrapped up three shows where we talked about the 3 R’s we’re all familiar with from our school days – reading and writing and arithmetic.

Now we want to move beyond school. We’ll talk about the 3 R’s of bigg success – responsibility, resiliency and relationships.

It starts with you

Have you ever noticed that the 3 R’s from school are two-thirds communication and one-third mathematical? We’re so happy about that!

While math is obviously very important, communication is critical.

Similarly, the 3 R’s of bigg success are two-thirds internal and one-third external.

Relationships are incredibly important, but if a person doesn’t have the right mindset, the relationships won’t be as beneficial to either party.

Loving others starts with loving yourself. Building up others starts with building up yourself.

Now let’s focus on the first of the 3 R’s of bigg success – responsibility.

You’re not Charles, but you’re still in charge

You are the entrepreneur of your life. You are in charge.

You and you alone are responsible for driving yourself to your chosen destination.

Notice that we said you are in charge. We didn’t say you’re in control. Bigg success is life on your own terms. And we chose our terms carefully.

You are in control of most things that happen in your life. In fact, you have to make them happen or they won’t happen. You create your destiny.

A duplicitous life

You vividly imagine the life you want. You put yourself there every day. You live a duplicitous life. You live in two worlds at the same time.

You physically live in your present world every day and you make the most of it. But you also mentally live in the future world that you are creating for yourself.

By simultaneously living in these two worlds, you discover ways to move your present world to your future world. You determine what it will take to make your mental image your physical reality.

As you determine how to bridge that gap, you take action today to move toward that future world of your dreams.

A choice to make

On the path to your destiny, things won’t always go your way. When they don’t, you have a choice to make.

You can push responsibility away.

You can make excuses. “I’m not smart enough.” “I’m not educated enough.” “I don’t know the right people.”

You can blame circumstances. It’s the economy. It’s the competition. It’s the market.

You can blame others. Things would be different if it weren’t for your co-workers. Or your boss. Or your parents. It’s someone’s, anyone’s, fault, but it’s not your responsibility.

If you choose this route, there’s one thing that almost certainly won’t happen in your life – you won’t reach the bigg success of your dreams.

Instead of pushing responsibility away, you can embrace it.

You can hold yourself accountable. Sure, things may not have gone your way. But you’re going to make them go your way moving forward.

As Stephen Covey said, responsible means being response-able. You can’t control what happens to you, but you can control how you respond.

You can choose to make lemonade from the lemons. Lemonade anyone?

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We highly recommend a great new book, Trust Agents It’s written by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. It’s already ranked near the top of best-selling business books. You owe it to yourself to check it out!

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Thank you so much for reading our post today. Please join us next time when we talk about the second R of bigg success – resiliency. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

We don’t hear so much about preferences. Preferences are the Cinderella of success literature.

However, knowing your preferences is just as important as uncovering your passions. Your passions paint the bigg picture; your preferences are the finer points.

Picture a page of a coloring book. You see the outline that you’re supposed to color in. That outline represents your passions. The colors you use and how you use them together are your preferences. It takes both to make the drawing complete.

We have personal preferences. For example, some people prefer to live in the city. Others want to live in the suburbs or even in the country.

We also have preferences in our professional lives. Some people prefer to work at a desk. It drives other people crazy.

Some people want to work in a large company with a lot of people. For others, small companies trip their trigger.

Some people like to work at home. Others just can’t do it. They find it too distracting or it makes others stir crazy.

One of the most important choices

Do you prefer to be the lead wolf or a lone wolf?

When we think of wolves, we often think of packs. As the lead wolf, you’re the leader of the pack. You recognize that you reach bigg success by organizing your pack to accomplish things together that couldn’t be accomplished individually.

It’s all about the pack and helping the individual members develop their talents to reach their full potential so the whole pack is a bigg success. A lone wolf, in nature, is usually a young adult in search of new territory. To apply this to our lives, your work is your craft. You prefer to do it alone. You want to master your craft, to push yourself beyond the boundaries that you’ve reached before. In order to do this, you don’t want to be distracted by the responsibilities of leadership.

Think about your preference – lead wolf or lone wolf – so you can live your life on your own terms. That’s bigg success! Are you the lead wolf or a lone wolf? Share that with us by leaving a comment below, calling us at 888.455.BIGG (2444) or e-mailing us at bigginfo@biggsuccess.com.

We’re howling at the moon because we’re so happy that you stopped in to see us today!

Smart savers

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My mom was a dedicated saver. She taught me about saving when I was young. I had this fun little coin machine where you could watch the money going down into the appropriate slot. I just loved to watch the coins pile up!

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My mom took my sister and me to the bank so we could open our own savings accounts. I just loved watching the money accumulate in that account! And to earn interest – I thought that was the greatest thing in the world!

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Play money

If you have kids in grades K – 8, check out the money section of kids.gov. They have some fun games, virtual tours and all kinds of other ways to help your kids understand money better. We wish they would have had it when we were kids!

Clever consumers

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When I was a teenager, I had my own job so I had my own money. The popular jeans at that time were Guess jeans. All the cool kids had them and I wanted a pair. My mom wasn’t too thrilled that I was buying designer jeans. They cost a lot more than the regular old jeans. I did buy one pair but Mom’s reaction made me think twice the next time.

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I can remember the day when I learned the difference between real money and play money. I was in the fourth grade. My teacher was one of the best teachers I ever had. He was always talking about the Guinness Book of World Records. I was with my Mom … shopping. She told me that, if I was good, I could pick out a toy. I found this air-powered toy gun. When we got up to the check-out counter, I noticed they had the Guinness Book of World Records on sale. I wanted it too! Mom said I couldn’t have both; I had to choose. It was a hard decision, but I finally chose the book. I never regretted it!

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We both benefited from our parents forcing us into making spending choices early in life. With the right coaching, kids can learn to be clever consumers and smart savers. It’s one of the best gifts any child could ever receive.

What did your parents do to teach you about money? Or what have you done with your kids to teach them? Share that with us by leaving a comment below, calling us at 888.455.BIGG (2444) or e-mailing us at bigginfo@biggsuccess.com.

Thanks for reading our post today.

Please join us next time when we’ll look at quirks that cost us time. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Our choices lead to bigg success.

They are way more important than any innate ability we may have. One of the biggest obstacles is not making a choice at all – indecision.

What causes indecision?

Fear.

Fear of not knowing enough. Fear of failure. Fear of embarrassment. Fear of standing out. Fear of making a mistake.

How do you overcome it?

Make a decision! Any Decision.

Like every other skill, it’s acquired.

Decide what you’re doing for lunch. Decide what you’ll wear. Decide what you’ll do this weekend.

You get the idea. These decisions have little consequence. So why spend too much time fretting over them?

However, some choices can be difficult. For example: choosing to change careers, start a business, get married, or start a family.

If you think about it, not making a decision is a decision in itself!

Is it the choice you really want? Are you willing to bear the consequences?

Putting off a decision may hold you back or even worse. Indecision may lead to the failure that is feared.

Having it all yet having nothing

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We talked with one of my former students recently. He and some friends have a great idea for a business.

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These guys really impressed me. They had done their research. They asked us a lot of questions. Then they went back and did even more research. They’ve proven out the opportunity. Obviously, there are no guarantees but they seem to have an idea that could make money. They have it all, but yet they have nothing!

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As I talked to my former student, he told me how much they love this idea. But for some reason, they just can’t pull the trigger – they’re just not willing to start.

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I think this happens with a lot of people. You know, George, think about how long it took us to think of our idea for Bigg Success and actually launch it. But we did start – it’s easy to analyze and analyze and analyze and never get to actually launching.

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The biggest regret

By postponing indefinitely, you never really know what could have happened. Which reminds me of a quote by John Greenleaf Whittier:

“Of all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these – it might have been.”

At some point, your fear of not knowing overcomes your fear of failure. It drives you crazy inside. You have to do it because you can’t accept not trying. So you make the decision to go.

Falling in love with an idea

The danger in not launching is that you fall in love with the idea. You build up these romantic visions in your head.

But you never ask it out for a date!

Is that fear of commitment? We say that with our tongues planted firmly in our cheeks!

When you postpone, competition may enter. The market may change. The opportunity may pass.

But you don’t notice it. You’re still in love with the idea of the business.

Opportunity is like a flower that buds and blooms before it wilts. You must be ready to make a decision when your bigg opportunity presents itself.

How do you overcome indecision?

Share that with us by leaving a comment below, calling us at 888.455.BIGG or sending us an e-mail at bigginfo@biggsuccess.com.

Health insurance is a significant expense. If you’re fortunate enough to be part of a group, your company is probably paying a good portion of the cost. However, companies are increasingly asking their employees to bear a bigger share of the total cost.

Of course, if you’re self-employed, you have to pay it all. This really hits your budget in either case and, as we look to the future, it appears it will occupy an ever larger share.

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I used to sell insurance years ago so I’m familiar with that side of it. I also approved our group plans when I was in business before Bigg Success.

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When we started Bigg Success, it was an eye opener for me. I went from being an employee with group insurance to being self-employed buying individual coverage. I saw the full cost, not just my share of it. I was amazed at the array of choices. And I couldn’t get some of the coverage I really liked under my group plan.

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Obviously, your age and your health are two major factors in the cost. The other key factors are:

Your deductible. This is the first money that will be paid out. You pay it up to the deductible you choose.

Your co-pay percentage. Once the deductible is satisfied, you begin sharing the cost with your insurance provider. You may split it down the middle or some other arrangement.

Your stop loss. You don’t have to share costs forever. At a certain point, your insurance company will pay 100% of the covered costs.

Your maximum coverage. It will look like a large number (e.g. $2 million) but it can be used up fairly quickly if there’s a serious health problem.

Your maximum out-of-pocket. This compiles the first three factors. Your maximum out-of-pocket equals your deductible plus your maximum co-pay amount. It only considers covered costs so just be aware that your actual out-of-pocket could be higher.

So now we want to talk about three mistakes that people often make when buying health insurance.

Pushing too much risk onto the insurance company. Being too conservative is very costly. For example, the higher your deductible, the less you’ll pay.

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But George, I know when I’ve been light on money, it’s scary to think about a large hospital bill. Even a doctor’s bill of $300 – $500 can be a burden when you’re really strapped for cash.

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I understand that, Mary-Lynn. But I’ll give you an example of what I’m talking about. A couple we know has over $50,000 in the bank, yet they insist on having a deductible of $500. They could save a lot of money by being a little less risk averse.

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Not shopping around. As we’ve said, this is a major expense. Like most major expenses, it’s worth your time to try to save some money. So get two, or even better three, quotes.

Make sure you’re comparing apples-to-apples. The plans from two different insurance companies probably won’t be exactly alike.

Settling in. Shop carriers at least every other year. You may be surprised at how much you can save by switching plans.

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This is something I learned the hard way. I liked my insurance company, but when I finally shopped coverage, I was astounded at how much I could save.

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This really boils down to personal preferences. It’s nice to only pay a small amount of money when you go to the doctor. But make sure you’re weighing that convenience against the actual cost.

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The key question to ask yourself is, “How much risk can I afford?

The general rule, in a financial sense, is to assume risks that are small, frequent, and inexpensive. You cover large, infrequent and expensive costs.

But also consider the emotional costs. If it’s going to keep you up at night knowing that you’re bearing a larger share of the burden, then push more risk off on the insurance company.

Think about the impact on your finances and your personal preferences to help you make this bigg decision.

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BIGG Success Primer

At BIGG Success, we nurture your inner entrepreneur so you can live your life on your own terms. It’s about entrepreneuring your life – taking full control to design and build the life that fits you perfectly. Read more.